Interviews

Soulcalibur XBLA Interview

One of the most popular fighting games of all time is set to burn up Xbox Live Arcade and we've got all the details straight from Namco Bandai.

With the release of Soulcalibur IV looming on the horizon, Namco Bandai has revealed that a special treat is on its way to Xbox Live. The original Soulcalibur, which debuted in the arcades in 1998 and a year later on the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast, is scheduled to appear on Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Marketplace. In preparation for this auspicious occasion, we asked the bigwigs over at Namco Bandai about all of the niggling concerns that typically go along with ports of classic arcade titles. What follows are the fruits of that interview.

Gonna Set Your Soul on Fire

GameSpy: Were there any challenges in making Soulcalibur for XBLA, such as porting the controls?

Robert Johnson, Producer: When we started on the project, we were set on not wanting to make changes to the original. I think Soulcalibur works very well with the standard controller but there is really no substitute for a joystick when it comes to fighting games.

GameSpy: We've heard that the game's graphics have been boosted a bit. Are they simply higher-res, or have the visuals been redone from the ground up?

Johnson: The visuals were not reproduced from the ground up. But we did add filtering textures to improve the original graphics.

GameSpy: Will the version of Soulcalibur on XBLA be the Japanese or American version?

Johnson: Actually neither. It was based off the original European release.

GameSpy: Will you need to unlock some of the characters, or will they be available from the first time you boot it up?

Johnson: We wanted to give the fans of the series a treat so we left all of the hidden content unlocked. All the characters, alternative costumes and features are available from the start.

GameSpy: Will we be seeing any new characters that weren't in the original game?

Johnson: This iteration of Soulcalibur was designed to be a bonus for all the fans who craved the original. We also wanted to introduce the series to those who've only heard just how great the game is but never had the opportunity to play it. We didn't add any new content to this version, but remember on July 29th we are releasing Soulcalibur IV, which has a ton of new characters, features and online play.

GameSpy: Is there a move list for those unfortunate souls that never played Soulcalibur?

Johnson:Soulcalibur was WAY ahead of its time against other titles in the fighting genre. Built into the game is a full move list which can be viewed in almost every mode of play. In addition to this, the practice mode lets you master these moves and watch as the character AI perform them as reference.